Udupi: District In-charge Minister Pramod Madhwaraj said the contribution of Basel missionaries to the field of education, health and industry has been immense.

Speaking after inaugurating the newly-built Basel Missionaries Memorial Auditorium at Mission Compound here on Tuesday, the minister said the development process in the coastal region had been largely dependent on the initiatives taken up by Basel missionaries during the initial years.

The state government has allotted Rs one crore grant for any minority community auditorium under the Karnataka State Minorities and Backward Classes Development Corporation. He added that the Congress-led state government has introduced many number development programmes catering to the needs of the minority communities.

Former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said Basel missionaries were responsible for the quality education imparted all over the coastal areas. These institutions played a vital role in imparting quality based disciplined education, which is highly praiseworthy. The Basel missionaries had planned for an overall development of coastal Karnataka through their social and economical service since 1838. The state government has been committed to the welfare and economic development of the minorities.

The government has been implementing various schemes for the welfare of minorities and has earmarked crores of rupees in the budget for the purpose, he added.

Karnataka State Minorities and Backward Classes Development Committee president J R Lobo MLA said Siddaramaiah-led government is committed to the development of minorities.

In the last budget, Sidaramaiah allotted Rs 100 crore to the Christian Development Council for the purpose of renovation of churches, building community halls, compound walls, orphanages, old age homes among others. In the current financial year, the government has allotted Rs 120 crore for the purpose. The government has also allotted Rs two crore for study on Kittel taken up by Mangaluru University in present fiscal year, he said.

Delivering the talk on the occasion, Dr Peter Wilson Prabhakar, principal of Vivekananda College, Puttur, said that in 1834, three missionaries of Basel Mission arrived at Calicut in Kerala and spread their activities gradually. During the period when people, especially women, had less opportunities for education, the mission worked hard to provide education to all. It is also responsible for opening new chapters in printing, cottage industry, medicine and agriculture.

Basel Mission started its ministry in Mangalore on October 30, 1884 and later extended its services to other parts of the state. Rev Hebich and his companions established many educational institutions including an Anglo-vernacular school.

The first printing press in the region was established in 1841 at Balmatta. Books were printed in different languages including Kannada, Tulu, Malayalam, Telugu, English, Sanskrit, Tamil, Konkani and German. Basel missionary Herman Frederick Mogling wrote several books in Kannada and also published ‘Mangalura Samachara’, considered as the first Kannada newspaper.

He informed that Basel Mission started a weaving factory at Balmatta in 1844, tile factories at Jeppu in 1865, at Kudroli in 1882 and at Malpe in 1886. It started first hospital at Udupi in 1923, first of its kind in the erstwhile South Kanara, he added.